Stay connected:
cowherd and Weaving Maid Qixi festival

Pictorial Presentations of the Story of Cowherd and the Weaving Maid on Chinese Antiques

The Chinese Valentine’s Day, Qixi Festival (七夕节), is just around the corner. It falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the traditional Chinese year. Dr Yibin Ni has conducted comprehensive research on this topic and has written an article in Chinese 《牛郎织女银河隔 七夕相会胜无数》 with reference to numerous ancient artifacts that depict such romantic story scene.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
five supernatural beasts Palace Museum

Not Just Common Motifs of Creatures: The Five Supernatural Beasts

Dragon and phoenix are commonly seen motifs in Chinese visual culture. Tiger, qilin and tortoise, at the same time, are favoured creatures symbolic for auspice. But when the motifs of the above five beasts are combined together, they have more meanings than they do individually. Here is what Dr Yibin Ni has to say about this motif combination.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
marble statue tiger Ruins of Yin

Tiger

The tiger has impressed the Chinese for being ferocious, valiant, and awesome. Numerous imaginations, legends, and images have been stimulated by the fascinating impact of this majestic beast on the nation’s psyche ever since antiquity. Shuowen jiezi (说文解字), or Explanations …

Continue Reading Continue Reading
tiger shaped pillow Cizhou ware

The Pictorial Representation of the Tiger in Traditional Chinese Decorative Arts

2022 is the year of Tiger according to Chinese lunar calendar. Dr Yibin Ni has conducted a research overview of the pictorial representation of the tiger in the background of Chinese culture and history, from the origin of its motif in relics to various artistic forms in traditional decorative arts over the past three thousand years.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
symbols longevity Hai Wu Tian Chou 海屋添筹

More than a simple assemblage of individual symbols of longevity: Discussion on a Chinese pictorial narrative scene of ‘Hai Wu Tian Chou’

More often than not, traditional Chinese motifs or symbols are not receiving their deserved attention, being given simplistic or inadequate labels and inaccurate explanations in our museums, catalogues, or even scholarly writing. The treatment of many pictorial representations of the thousand-year-old literary anecdote ‘A bamboo counter is being added to the house in the sea (海屋添筹 hai wu tian chou)’ is a case in point.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
Jiang Ziya’s mount porcelain painting Tutuhaoyi

Has Jiang Ziya’s mount Got Anything to do with the Père David’s deer?

The following article is a discussion of the substitution of a mythical beast for a horse as Grand Duke Jiang’s mount on three classic porcelain vases adorned with the same story scene of ‘Bo Yi and Shu Qi Trying to Stop the Mighty Zhou Army’. It focuses on the origin and evolution of the two disparate but homophonic expressions ‘Sibuxiang’ in late imperial China and clarifies the terminological confusion in the contemporary world.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
monkey bee deer bird pun rebus Tutuhaoyi

A bear or a monkey? Understanding the meaning of pictorial art in the light of Chinese pun rebus culture

When you mistake a motif in a traditional Chinese picture, you could have misinterpreted the meaning of the whole image intended by the ancient craftsman. Dr Yibin Ni has used the following example to illustrate the hidden meaning of a series of images in the context of Chinese pun rebus culture.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
a pair of porcelain vases depicting Zhao Bian and crane

Understanding stories on Chinese porcelain: More than just an official and his attendants

Have you ever been puzzled by the description of ‘figural paintings’ for Chinese porcelains listed by various museums and auction catalogues? In fact, many Chinese paintings with figures refer to ancient stories and have meanings behind the scenes. Here is an unusual story about an official and his pet crane.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
Jin ling gong porcelain Tutuhaoyi

How a massacre in ancient China influenced European literature, painting and theatre

Story scenes painted on Chinese porcelains are sometimes mysterious and challenging to understand. Dr Yibin Ni, whose specialised research is to demystify figures and story scenes, and decode motifs, symbols and pun rebuses in Chinese art, is here to tell the modern world about a story that happened two and a half thousand years ago in ancient China.

Continue Reading Continue Reading
Bing Ji wen niu blog Tutuhaoyi

A statesman’s duty to his country: a Chinese story depicted on traditional artworks

The story of the statesman Bing Ji (丙吉) inquiring about a panting buffalo in ancient China has been illustrated in various forms in traditional Chinese art. It is meant to praise high-ranking officials who can prioritise their duties for their country. However, such famous story on Chinese porcelains has often been misinterpreted. Dr Yibin Ni has found out those mistakes on a number of occasions during his art research. Here is what he has to say.

Continue Reading Continue Reading

We use cookies to improve your experience and deliver personalised advertising. By continuing to use Tutuhaoyi.com, you agree to our use of cookies as detailed in our Privacy & Cookie Policy.